


Oh Capitaine

by eclipse_solaire



Category: Rugby - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 13:02:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2151705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eclipse_solaire/pseuds/eclipse_solaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unlikely friendship forms between the captain and one of his players.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh Capitaine

Jonny didn’t know what had come over him. One minute he was laughing and celebrating the Racing Mètro’s win against Toulouse and the next he was hiding out in his hotel room, crying noisily in the bathroom. He noticed that he was rapidly running out of toilet roll from using so much to mop up the seemingly endless stream of tears and the hard plastic of the toilet seat lid was beginning to make his bum go numb. Deciding enough was in enough, he threw the nearly empty toilet roll into the bath and stood up, facing his red, puffy faced reflection in the mirror.

“Stop being such a prat, Jonny. They can’t understand you either.” He muttered to himself, wiping the remaining tears from his face roughly with the palm of his hands. “Crying in the bathroom isn’t going to suddenly make you fluent in French.” Turning the tap on, he leant over the sink, cupped his hands together and scooped water into his burning face, hoping to staunch the tears and cool himself down. There was nothing he could do about his flushed cheeks.

Swinging the bathroom door open, he was about ready to curl up in a ball and not wake up for a week after the physical game they’d just played; his limbs ached and his joints were stiff but a knock at his door drew him away from the soft hotel bed. Sighing, he pulled on his old, comfortable grey hoodie and shuffled to the door. Peering through the peephole, he was surprised to see his captain, Dimitri, standing in the hall, rocking back and fore on his heels, wearing the fluffy white robe with the hotel logo stitched into the breast and his thick rimmed glasses. Taking a deep breath to collect himself and to appear as normal as he possibly can with a red face and puffy eyes, he opened the door to his captain.

“Capitaine! Come in.” he stepped to the side to allow his captain to enter and followed him into the room. Dimitri sat in the only armchair, leaving Jonny to sit on the bed. “What can I do for you, Dimitri?” Jonny asked curiously.

“I just came to check up on you. I visit everyone before bed.” He kicked his feet up on to the end of the bed and relaxed into his armchair. “How are you feeling?”

“Very happy that we won. How are you feeling?” Hoping to turn the line of questioning away from him, he asked the same of his guest.

Dimitri took a swig of his beer and swallowed, watching Jonny pensively. He could tell he’d just been crying, Jonny was sure of it. “Not bad.” He placed his beer bottle on the dresser next to him and lent forward, resting his wrists on his knees and linking his strong hands together. “You look upset, Jonny. I’d like to know why.” Coming from anyone else, this would sound nosey and interfering, but Jonny knew his captain was genuinely concerned.

Sighing deeply, Jonny dragged his hand across his face before answering. ‘“It’s nothing, really.” He couldn’t look him in the eye as he continued. “I just… there’s a language barrier. I feel left out.”

“Pardon? Je ne comprends pas.” Dimitri winked, causing Jonny to smile reluctantly. Dimitri gestured with his hand for him to carry on.

“I struggle to talk to some of the guys; I don’t speak French well and their English isn’t the best. I feel a bit isolated.” He cringed internally. He didn’t mean to sound like a whiney teenager.

“You’re not the only person to come here and struggle. Jamie and Mike did at first. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.” He grinned, displaying his white teeth, and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “I shall help you with your French, mon pote.”

Jonny felt terrible. He didn’t want to be a burden on Dimitri. “No no, it’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“Rubbish! I’ll help you. My French is very good, you know.” He smirked.

Knowing he’d be fighting a losing battle if he continued to argue the point, Jonny nodded his acceptance. “Thank you.” His heart was already beginning to settle in his chest as if it was no longer fighting for a way to escape the pervading sense of loneliness.

“Pas de problème.” Dimitri smiled. Now the tension had eased from the room, he sank back in his armchair and yawned. “I heard your wife is pregnant?”

Jonny grinned properly for the first time that night at the mention of his wife. “Yes, 4 months, she’s due in June.” Grabbing his phone from the pocket of his shorts, he swiped his thumb across the screen and flicked through his photo folder to find the grainy ultrasound photo. “Would you like to see?” He asked shyly. He was well aware that some people hated to have baby scans and photos constantly shoved in their face. He was terrified of becoming one of ‘those’ people.

“Of course!” Dimitri reached for the phone and smiled at the screen. “So small.” He pinched his fingers on the screen and zoomed in on the photo to get a better look. “Congratulations, Jonny. It’s fantastic news. Once I’ve taught you French you’ll be a pro and can teach your child.” He grinned.

“I can’t wait. June couldn’t come quick enough.” He slipped his phone back into his shorts and hid his smug ‘soon to be a father’ grin by taking another sip of his beer. He was just about to ask Dimitri about the team’s plans for tomorrow when his phone rang. His wife’s name flashed on his screen causing his heart to thud happily. “It’s my wife. I’d better take it.” He gave his guest an apologetic glance.

“It’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early for your first lesson!” He pulled himself out of the armchair and slapped Jonny on the back as he passed. “Bon nuit.” As the hotel door clicked shut, Jonny answered his phone.

***

The next morning, Jonny was woken up by his phone vibrating on the bedside table. With bleary eyes and slow reflexes he missed his phone and could do nothing but watch it bounce onto the floor. A loud groan rumbled deep in his chest when he saw the alarm clock proudly displaying the time. 6:15 am. He’d definitely had a few too many beers last night after the win. Another groan escaped when he read the text.

“Your lesson starts in 10 minutes, be ready, mon pote!”

He couldn’t help but smile sleepily to himself. He was delighted that his captain was serious about teaching him French. He was one step closer to being included and he was sure Dimitri would become a good friend. Stuffing his feet into his slippers, he headed to the bathroom to get ready for his morning of French lessons.

 

 

 


End file.
